Barnes & Thornburg Bolsters Real Estate Strength With Three-Partner Team Hire

The move follows the arrival of five other groups since January: a 39-lawyer public finance and infrastructure practice in 10 cities, a 14-lawyer healthcare outfit in Raleigh, a 12-lawyer insurance recovery team in four cities, a six-lawyer tax and insurance recovery unit in Atlanta and an entertainment trio in Los Angeles and Nashville. 

“We are proud of how successful we’ve been this year in attracting lateral groups spanning various practices in markets across the country,” said Barnes & Thornburg Managing Partner Andrew J. Detherage. “The continued growth of our firm is a testament to our culture of client service, collaboration and excellence. The addition of Andrew, Darnell and Jeremy is another example of the strategic, targeted growth we have pursued across our national platform.”

The team joins from Ballard Spahr. They focus on lender-side commercial loan servicing and asset management for market-rate and affordable multifamily properties. Their clients include financial institutions, lenders, banks and commercial loan servicers. Almand has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch for Real Estate Law in Washington, D.C.

“Strengthening our real estate finance capabilities is a priority for us, and loan servicing and asset management are specialized disciplines,” said Sal LaViña, chair of the firm’s Real Estate Department. “Andrew has built a well-regarded practice, and Darnell and Jeremy round out a very capable team. They expand what our department can offer lenders and servicers across the country. We are thrilled to have them.”

The firm’s Real Estate practice is ranked in the top tier by The Best Lawyers in America and has been regionally recognized in Chambers USA for over 20 years. Last year, a five-lawyer team led by partners Michael Henson and Daniel Noice joined the Real Estate practice in Atlanta.  

“Barnes & Thornburg’s national real estate platform and collaborative culture made this an easy decision for our team,” said Almand. “Our lender and servicer clients increasingly need counsel who can handle complex, multi-jurisdictional portfolios efficiently, and this firm has the depth and the footprint to do that. I’m looking forward to building on our practice here with Darnell and Jeremy and working alongside the Real Estate Department’s talented lawyers.”

The firm’s acquisition of six lateral groups was part of a broader hiring spree that has resulted in more than 160 new lawyers, including 80 new partners. Barnes & Thornburg was ranked No. 1 by Pirical for Q1 2026 lateral partner hiring.